Ada knocks off Byng in slow pitch matchup
Apr. 18—BYNG — Maybe the momentum of snagging a road win over your local rivals is just what the doctor ordered for the Ada High School softball team.
Josie Morgan and Ariana Munoz helped the Ada offense come to life with big hits in the fourth inning and the Lady Cougars rallied past Byng 7-4 Tuesday night at the Bobby Johns Softball Complex.
Ada improved to 9-11 on the season, while Class 5A No. 8 Byng dropped to 12-7. Both local squads can now turn their full focus toward the playoffs.
Coach Jeremy Strong's AHS squad is headed to a Class 5A District Tournament in Broken Bow. Ada will face Hugo at 11 a.m. today in a first-round matchup with No. 5 Broken Bow waiting in the wings.
The Lady Pirates will host their own Class 5A District Tournament on Thursday. That action opens with Idabel and Newcastle battling at 11 a.m. in a first-round game. Byng will face the loser of that game at 12:15 p.m. and the winner of that game at 1:30 p.m.
Ada 7, Byng 4
Byng got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.
McKenzie Alford led off with a double and scored on a two-out double off the bat of Paige Ridgway. Another Byng run scored when Leigh Ridgway reached on an error and the Lady Pirates led 2-0 early.
Meanwhile, Ada went hitless through the first three innings before its offense finally rejuvenated in the top of the fourth inning.
Abbey Strong reached on an error and promptly sped home on a run-scoring triple by Josie Morgan to get Ada within 2-1. Munoz followed by ripping a two-run homer over the left field wall to push the Lady Cougars into a 3-2 lead.
Ada scored four more runs in the top of the fifth inning. That outburst was highlighted by consecutive doubles from Morgan, Munoz and Rylynn Truett. McKenzi Burden led off that frame for Ada with a triple.
Byng got a two-out, RBI single by Audrey Pope in the bottom of the fifth to trim the AHS advantage to 7-3 and it was a sacrifice fly by Pope in the bottom of the seventh inning that pushed across the final Byng tally.
Ada overcame the slow start to pile up 10 hits in the contest. Munoz finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored and Morgan went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Byng finished the game with 12 hits, including a 3-for-3 showing by Alford, who scored twice. Pope finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Paige Ridgway ended up 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored for the hosts.
